what I mean is, if you turn on the panel lights in the Cessna for instance, the entire cockpit lights up, as if a dome light is on. Is there a way to maintain the darkness while only lighting up the gauges, like in a car at night? or at least make it look like I am not sitting in a lighted room.

Is it possible in FSX? Yes.Is it possible in the Cessna you're flying? Not without modifications to the panel / gauges.Unfortunately it's been a while since I last touched panels / gauges so I can't remember off the top of my head how it was accomplished :/

>what I mean is, if you turn on the panel lights in the Cessna>for instance, the entire cockpit lights up, as if a dome light>is on. Is there a way to maintain the darkness while only>lighting up the gauges, like in a car at night? or at least>make it look like I am not sitting in a lighted room. >>It all depends on the aircraft that is designed. Some addon vendors allow you to light up only the guages. Which is awesome to fly at night..with only the guages.There are others who provide for all or nothing. Either you fly in total darkness or have the whole cabin light up. IMO, thats shoddy work.Manny

>what I mean is, if you turn on the panel lights in the Cessna>for instance, the entire cockpit lights up, as if a dome light>is on. Is there a way to maintain the darkness while only>lighting up the gauges, like in a car at night? or at least>make it look like I am not sitting in a lighted room. Yes. It is quite simple, actually.Look in the FSX default C172's aircraft.cfg file for these lines:[LIGHTS]//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit, 5=landing 6=taxi, 7=recognition, 8=wing, 9=logo 10=cabinlight.0 = 3, -2.76, -18.11, 2.97, fx_navredlight.1 = 3, -2.78, 18.11, 2.95, fx_navgrelight.2 = 2, -3.13, -18.31, 2.95, fx_strobelight.3 = 2, -3.11, 18.31, 2.95, fx_strobelight.4 = 1, -20.51, 0.00, 6.20, fx_beaconlight.5 = 6, -2.27, 0.00, 1.45, fx_vclightNote that the last entry is for "fx_vclight" and that it assigned to type #6 taxi (which is itself quite bizzare!).In any case, all you need to do is comment out that line thusly to get rid of the "overhead flood light"//light.5 = 6, -2.27, 0.00, 1.45, fx_vclight // disabled temporarily

I will check that out, thank a bunch Bill!I never even thought about this over the past 10 years but it suddenly hit me that I was flying with the dome light on.

Sorry to say Bill...didn't work for me. Still have the "dome light" on.Intel E6700 @ 3.8ghz2 gig Corsair Pc2-8500 @ 1066mhzEvga 680i nVidia motherboardEvga 7950GT 512 mb 163.44 Drivers2 74gig WD 10,000 rpm Raptors Raid 0Thermaltake 750watt Toughpower PsuAcer 22" Widescreen LCD

Hi Bill!My Default cessna show:[LIGHTS]//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpitlight.0 = 3, -2.76, -18.11, 2.97, fx_navredlight.1 = 3, -2.78, 18.11, 2.95, fx_navgrelight.2 = 2, -3.13, -18.31, 2.95, fx_strobelight.3 = 2, -3.11, 18.31, 2.95, fx_strobelight.4 = 1, -20.51, 0.00, 6.20, fx_beaconlight.5 = 4, -2.27, 0.00, 1.45, fx_vclightI don't have a light.5=6 entry,Maybe his is a wrong entry. Herb

Thanks for the tip Bill!!But this leads to another question. How would you link this, 'vclights' to another switch?Would this be correct for example to have the VC lights to come on in conjunction with the landing lights? light.5 = 5

>Thanks for the tip Bill!!>>But this leads to another question. How would you link this,>'vclights' to another switch?>>Would this be correct for example to have the VC lights to>come on in conjunction with the landing lights? light.5 = 5The key to assigning to a particular switch is indeed just that parameter.That's why I included the //Type... line listing all the options. :)

>Hi Bill!>My Default cessna show:[LIGHTS]>//Types: 1=beacon, 2=strobe, 3=navigation, 4=cockpit>light.0 = 3, -2.76, -18.11, 2.97, fx_navred>light.1 = 3, -2.78, 18.11, 2.95, fx_navgre>light.2 = 2, -3.13, -18.31, 2.95, fx_strobe>light.3 = 2, -3.11, 18.31, 2.95, fx_strobe>light.4 = 1, -20.51, 0.00, 6.20, fx_beacon>light.5 = 4, -2.27, 0.00, 1.45, fx_vclight>>I don't have a light.5=6 entry,Maybe his is a wrong entry.>HerbLOL! I evidently changed my fx_vclight assignment last year and forgot about it. It doesn't matter though, as the first parameter after the = sign is the "circuit" to which the fx is assigned. In your case, it is assigned to #4 "cockpit," which is actually rather ambiguious, since the panel system control for that circuit is "panel lights!"FS9 introduced a new circuit Type, #10 Cabin, which is really what all "overhead" and "flood" lights should be assigned, and a new switch provided for their control.